In the past the Dyna and Touring had the A motor. It looks from the photos like the Softail line is going to lose the counterbalancers and share the same engine and transmission as the touring line. No more rigid mounted B motor?

If the Moco used a generic drivetrain platform (sportster and Vrod excluded) on their most popular models that would make good economic sense.

Interestingly the shock on the softail is up under the seat, same location as on a 50's Vincent Black Shadow. Not knocking it the Vincent was an amazing machine.

 

All the M8 motors are counterbalanced.

The new Softail motor has dual balancers, and is rigid mounted still. Plus the oil is under the engine, not the trans. There are still 2 different Big twin engines.

 

Interesting. The pictures look so much like the touring drivetrain. So they managed to stuff another counterbalancer in the M8 that already had a counterbalancer. I do like they kept the drivetrain rigid mounted, now I wonder how smooth it will be, they did such a good job on smoothing out the touring drivetrain.

 

From everything I've read, these are the smoothest running Harley's ever, in any platform. I'll have to go see for myself this weekend.

 

I guess I may be weird but I always liked the rumble of that A engine under my ***. I guess that is why my Hopped up RKC is still the right bike for me.

 

Who wants a smooth running harley? I like to hear my teeth chatter at a nice idle

 

I like to keep my can of paint shaken on my Dyna's, and cage drivers tend to watch the engine a'rockin' at the lights.

 

Getting rid of the two parasitic chain driven counterbalancers for geared ones seems like a big plus. Less noise and less hp loss.

 

Or no counterbalances and no hp loss

 

Well Bama, even the M8 touring has counterbalancers, just without chains and somehow they did it without HP loss it seems.